ITHAKA ON THE HORIZON: A Greek-American Journey

The Patriarchal Theological Seminary of Halki is located on the Turkish island known as Heyelbiada in the Bosporus straits. It was closed in 1971 by the Turkish government and is the subject of much controversy since it is the only seminary in Turkey and the position of Ecumenical Patriarch can only be filled by a Turkish citizen. Sign the petition to reopen it at www.greece.org

24 July 2007

Living the Greek Reality

Arrived in Athens on Sunday, with my younger son, Chris. We were met by the a cloudless sky and the warm embrace of family and friends. The daytime temperatures are hovering over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It's hot but dry; not unlike the weather in the US southwest. Needless to say this kind of heat is especially hard on a boy from Maine, yet I continue to adapt and overcome with frequent dips in the Aegean. For those of us who live in the Diaspora and do not have to endure the daily struggles engendered by the reality of life in Greece, returning to Greece is a time of family reunions, happy times and relaxation. Only occasionally does the "Greek Reality" intervene on our idyllic visions of Greek life.

My wife, Anna, arrived a couple of weeks before Chris and I so she could see her Mother through the ordeal of gallbladder surgery. Gallbladder surgery is a fairly common surgical procedure, however in her case, there were complications which resulted in a second surgery only a few days after the first. My mother-in-law left the hospital after her initial surgery only to return a day later because of persistent vomiting and abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with a blockage in her small intestine and the young surgeon informed her that she would require a rather large incision to deal with the problem. My 75 year old mother in law who grew up in the crucible of the war years of the 1940s, looked at him very seriously and lamented that she would be unable to wear the bikini she had purchased for the summer. He looked at her dumbfounded, whereupon she smiled and broke the tension by assuring him that the size of the incision was irrelevant as long as she could feel better and return to her home to cook for her son-in-law and grandson. True grit.

As often happens in Greece, unless you can afford premium care in an expensive private hospital, a relative who can stay at your bedside and ensure basic care is essential. That role fell to Anna. She was the stand in for a system that is either overwhelmed or inefficient. Suffice it to say that my mother-in law and Anna both survived and are glad to be home. I claim no expertise about the status of health care in Greece nor can I wax eloquent about what they need to do to improve things. The record of socialized medicine has been a mixed one and most Europeans would be aghast at what they believe is the far worse system in that we have in the US which is partially based on market forces. Basically you get what you pay for. The quality of health care in Greece as elsewhere can be dictated in part by the ability to pay. I would venture to say that there are some world class facilities and doctors in Greece. Then again, the phenomenon of Greeks going elsewhere to seek medical care is not uncommon. That is if they can afford it. Based on my limited observations I would say that Greece has made huge strides yet still suffers from a poorly developed system of emergency medical services, corruption, as evidenced by the use use of bribes known as " fakelakia" or little envelopes containing cash, and poorly staffed or equipped national medical service facilities especially in the remote areas such as the Greek islands.

The trouble with socialized medicine, as I see it, is that it invariably gets mired in the self-replicating bureaucracy that affects all government enterprises. It is disease oriented rather than prevention oriented. There are no free rides in such a system, someone has to pay. To the simple minded, free healthcrae sounds great. I want the best care and I don't want to pay a dime. What you often get is rationed care and you pay through the nose.

Sorry I got sidetracked, this post was not supposed to be about health care. It was supposed to be about returning to Greece after a one year absence. I must admit that I always look forward to the heroe's welcome that awaits me when I return. The new airport is only a stone's throw from my in-laws small vacation cottage in the seaside town of Loutsa. Loutsa is basically a working man's getaway outside of Athens. Someplace where families of limited means could plant some fruit trees and escape the summer heat. My in-laws came here thirty years ago and the small cottage where they spend their summers and the surrounding neighborhood hold countless fond memories of their children growing up and the good times. The neighbors haven't changed much. Still the same people. A few have died, the kids are grown up now and raising kids of their own. The rhythms of neighborhood life continue as they have in the past, to a large extent. Greece is not a mobile society. When you plant roots, they're permanent. Loutsa is changing, just like the rest of Greece, of course, some folks have moved here permanently year round. Others, of considerable means, are buying land and building truly impressive costly structures that tower over some of their poorer neighbors.

Within a few hours of our arrival in Greece we were taking a dip at our favorite swimming spot near the rocky shoreline. The water was crystal clear and you could easily see the bottom and the cool Aegean was not only refreshing but reinvigorating. We were sitting down to a huge lunch surrounded by family and friends laughing and trying to catch up on all the neighborhood gossip. Chris was soon bouncing from house to house with his friends and we are settling into our vacation routine here.

Comments

So nice to know someone is having a good holiday in Greece!

We've had two dramatic encounters with hospitals in Greece. First when a (British) godson cracked his head open falling from rocks on day one of the holiday and I had to use my rudimentary Greek to find a doctor and then a hospital an hour away, and then when my delerious daughter had suspected meningitis and my husband had to race with her in a taxi to the Athens Children's Hospital five hours away. Makes my hair stand on end even thinking about the latter. Both children survived, received excellent care, nobody needed a bribe, and nobody ever asked how we were going to pay, or asked us to produce any papers...

Still enjoying reading Markides, btw. Even tempted as a result to go to a "Taize" service at a nearby church. So beautiful and so peaceful, lit only by candles and the long stretches of the evening sun through leaded windows. Tiny congregation, of about ten people.

I'm glad you took time to write a post and let us know how your visit to Greece is going. While I was reading, I flashbacked to times when the "Greek reality" was only a temporary charm lasting a few weeks or a month. Now it's 24/7 and not so charming.

It doesn't surprise me that you went off on a tangent regarding healthcare. It's easy to tangent because time in Greece inevitably has its moments, even if it is vacation.

Will be e-mailing you, but the dates you mentioned sound absolutely fine. :)

Thank you for your holiday wishes. My elder daughter came home from the mall (:)) with a cowboy hat today, so I guess we're all getting in the mood, though my younger vegetarian animal-loving daughter resolutely refuses to countenance the idea of a rodeo next Friday ...

I'm reading the second Markides book and have almost finished it. I've been reading his book about the Magus too which is a bit different ... I'll let you know what I think properly when I've finished both books on Orthodox spirituality. I've also been reading a couple of books by Kallistos Ware which are fascinating and provoking on Universal Orthodoxy! I'm looking forward to my Greek friend coming back from her holidays in Greece so we can have some interesting discussions ...

The area around our house here is full of early Roman and Christian history (and one of the most famous USAF sitings of a UFO). A few miles away is the Anglo Saxon burial site, Sutton Hoo, supposedly containing the remains and treasure of the Anglo Saxon king, Raedwald who controlled his kingdom from here and converted to Christianity. Venerable Bede, writing almost contemporaneously in the early 8th century, described Raedwald's settlement as having a great wooden hall. The ancient field name on early maps of the land at the bottom of our garden is Great Wooden Hall Field. The church is on the far side of the field. My husband, being first a historian, enjoys imagining that Raedwald's settlement was here. The land owner will not allow the land to be excavated so it remains just an exciting thought or hope, but one that offers the potential of a spiritual connection with very early Christians. A rationalist would see St Gregory's church as just stones, but I find it hard to believe that it is just that.

We enjoy hill walking and came across several beautiful isolated churches in the Mani, often high up in the hills overlooking the sea. Agia Sophia, a couple of kilometres into the maquis up a cobbled donkey road behind Kardimyli will always be a favourite. A simple, small, whitewashed structure, hardly ever used for services but still harbouring the history of hundreds of prayers.

I'm writing from a small Internet cafe in a place called Palia Loutsa, an Athenian getaway for the downtrodden such as yours truly. The weather is tolerable today, below 40 C., however the last few days have been a diificult adjustment. I've befriended a small fan which usually sits close by and makes things bearable. The cafe offers a bit of air conditioned comfort and affords me the opportunity to check email. Most of the other customers here are adolescents who spend their time playing various online games and snicker at my constant two fingered typing. I'm sure they are muttering under their breath: "what's this guy possibly got to write about?"

I envy your trip to Colorado, a place I've never been able to visit but certainly look forward to seeing someday. In fact, there is a Greek Orthodox monastery right outside Denver at the foot of the Rockies named after St George that I would like to visit for the sole reason of talking again to a priest-monk there named Christodoulos. I met him in Maine and was quite impressed by him. So much so that I am contemplating a trip someday. Father Christodoulos spent ten years in a monastery on the island of Rhodes until he was summoned to Colorado to start a monastery at the request of Bishop Isaiah of Denver. Orthodox Monastacism in America is making amazing strides and I pray that it continues to thrive and grow in our country.

Your descriptions of Mani interest me, especially since many of my friends in Maine have roots there. Perhaps next time when they plan to join us. This year we are planning to visit the island of Aegina where the church of St Nektarios is located. I just finished a book about his life and plan a future post about him. We will also visit the Mount Olympus area. I'm also planning a side trip to Ioannina. I'll keep everyone posted.

The English countryside and history have always held a special fascination for me. Probably because I enjoy Jane Austen. That's not the kind of thing an ex-Marine often admits too. I spent some time training with the Royal Marines a long time ago and unfortunately I spent most of my time off duty in pubs and not enough of it exploring the delightful countryside of southern England. Your historian husband is lucky to live in Great Britain where you can't help but bump into history at every turn. That's one of the reasons I find Greece so entertaining.

Please tell you animal friendly daughter that American rodeos are much tougher on their human participants unlike Spanish bullfights.

Take care, hope each member of your family finds something worthwhile in Colorado,

Stavros,
Glad to see you're enjoying your holiday. I liked the bit about your pethera and the bikini. I understand you may be meeting up with our mutual friend, the USAF LtCol. Tell him hi from us and that we hope to see him one day soon as well!

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Searching for Ithaka

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
C. P. Cavafy

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